haha the first song i checked out was their 1000 eyes cover, it was pretty good!

Yeah, that's on Skymorphosis, which I listened to today because of this discussion. Definitely a cool band and I should look into getting the newest one at some point (not too high on my list of things to get).

haha the first song i checked out was their 1000 eyes cover, it was pretty good!

Yeah, that's on Skymorphosis, which I listened to today because of this discussion. Definitely a cool band and I should look into getting the newest one at some point (not too high on my list of things to get).

yeah man, art bleeds sounds a lot cooler though honestly, it was awesome

This a weird album, quite schizophrenic stylistically but it's never awkward. I hear black metal, folk metal, a teensy tiny bit of death metal and even some progressive metal (parts here some like they may have had some influence on *gasp* Opeth!). It's all over the place when you sit down and think about it. But at the same time it all works. Really intriguing stuff, I don't love it yet... but I wouldn't be all too surprised if I grew to.

Not bad for a £1.25 purchase from amazon.

Mercyful Fate - Return of the Vampire

I'm really surprised I'd never heard this in full before. It may feature embryonic versions of songs that would turn up on later MF albums. But it certainly doesn't feel like an "odds n sods" compilation. The guitars are very wild (even by Mercyful Fate's standards) and King's vocals are at their most untamed. Songs like 'Burning the Cross' are forgotten classics, so I'll even forget them the odd slip-up ('MDA' is quite silly in places even if the guitars are still great).

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.

Down Among the Deadmen by (the lord weird) Slough Feg - This kind of makes me think of classic Iron Maiden mixed with modern era Anvil. The guitar work on this album is amazing. Amazing riff after riff and the solos are crazy.

Kyuss (Welcome to Sky Valley) by Kyuss - Stuff like this is why I listen to music. This album is amazing from start to finish. The bass is really prominent and amazing. Josh Homme's guitar playing is amazing as usual. Brant Bjork is a beast behind the kit. All the songs on here are absolutely top notch. IMO this is one of the best albums of all time. I only wish I discovered it sooner.

This a weird album, quite schizophrenic stylistically but it's never awkward. I hear black metal, folk metal, a teensy tiny bit of death metal and even some progressive metal (parts here some like they may have had some influence on *gasp* Opeth!). It's all over the place when you sit down and think about it. But at the same time it all works. Really intriguing stuff, I don't love it yet... but I wouldn't be all too surprised if I grew to.

I've still got LXXVIII and found it a very under rated album. Thanks for the reminder, might give it a well earned spin again later ha ha ha.

Solitude Aeturnus- Beyond the Crimson Glory- Damn, Robery Lowe i one hell of a vocalist! This album is great. The riffs are slow, but not to slow as to induce boredom, the riffs are doomy yet beautiful, vocals are soaring and emotional... Never heard anything like this. If this is what doom metal consists of, then I'm gonna have one hell of a good time exploring it more. It's a rare thing for me to be able to listen to a 6 minute slow song without dying of sheer boredom-But these guys manage to make it not only interesting, but thoroughly enjoyable throughout the entire experience.

Count Raven-Destruction of the Void- Like a doomier version of Sabbath, with a vocalist near identical to Ozzwald. Unfortunantly the Ozman isn't that great of a vocalist, the the vocals are a low point. But the rest of the music is pretty damn great. You've got some straight up doom in the title track and Leaving the Warzone, some more uptempo yet still doomy songs in No One's Hero, and of course crushing riffs throughout.

I've been listening to alot of different variants of black metal this week. Anything from Bathory to Zyklon-B. I still always find myself going back and listening to the albums that have really stuck throughout the years though. Like Sargeist's "Tyranny Returns", Deathpsell Omega's "Inquisitors of Satan", and the Xasthur/Leviathan split. Those albums never really get old for me. Another one that I've brought back into rotation recently is Ondskapt's Dödens Evangelium.. I forgot how epic that album is. It's so dark and powerful.. Usually during this time of year, I find myself listening to more folk oriented stuff, but I have just been wanting music that sounds more sinister.

_________________

failsafeman wrote:

I'm so stoked someone finally called me a Nazi for my modding. That's an achievement on the Xbox version.

I can't really describe what makes me love the band's music so much. Of course, the smooth yet powerful vocals by Jessica Thoth are the foremost element that enchants your soul, but there's so much more to the whole sound. It's soaked with psychedelia, the organ's wondrous melodies contribute a lot to the general 70s feeling, but it's often lower in the mix than the bass, which tends to take on subtle lead work underneath Jex's vocals while the guitar just has that warm distorted buzz going on. Yet when the songs pick up speed, the guitarist comes up front and provides some catchy and to-the-point solos. Maybe that's the secret of it all; Jessica Thoth makes everyone think it's her band and she's the defining constituent, but in truth the rest of the members are just as indispensable for creating the unique mood and stunning soundscapes of Jex Thoth.

Count Raven-Destruction of the Void- Like a doomier version of Sabbath, with a vocalist near identical to Ozzwald. Unfortunantly the Ozman isn't that great of a vocalist, the the vocals are a low point. But the rest of the music is pretty damn great. You've got some straight up doom in the title track and Leaving the Warzone, some more uptempo yet still doomy songs in No One's Hero, and of course crushing riffs throughout.

I think Count Raven would be a top-class band if Dan hired another vocalist and if they got a warmer, more 70s-style production. As it is, while I've finally come round to starting to enjoy them after years of kind of being turned off, they just never quite floor me the way I almost think they should. Certain songs though are really magnificent. I love the soloing, too..it's different from the usual pentatonic stuff that often graces bands influenced by early Sabbath, I think, and the leads are often like little compositions within themselves.

_________________Hush! and harkTo the sorrowful cryOf the wind in the dark.Hush and hark, without murmur or sigh,To shoon that tread the lost aeons:To the sound that bids you to die.

I can't really describe what makes me love the band's music so much. Of course, the smooth yet powerful vocals by Jessica Thoth are the foremost element that enchants your soul, but there's so much more to the whole sound. It's soaked with psychedelia, the organ's wondrous melodies contribute a lot to the general 70s feeling, but it's often lower in the mix than the bass, which tends to take on subtle lead work underneath Jex's vocals while the guitar just has that warm distorted buzz going on. Yet when the songs pick up speed, the guitarist comes up front and provides some catchy and to-the-point solos. Maybe that's the secret of it all; Jessica Thoth makes everyone think it's her band and she's the defining constituent, but in truth the rest of the members are just as indispensable for creating the unique mood and stunning soundscapes of Jex Thoth.

I've heard their full length and, to be honest, the band was great at that sort of lucid, heavy psychedelic rock stuff (I don't consider them a metal band, really) but Jex's vocals were simply quite good. She was totally outshined by the band, who were pretty damn great. They have a lot of potential, though.

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.

I've heard their full length and, to be honest, the band was great at that sort of lucid, heavy psychedelic rock stuff (I don't consider them a metal band, really) but Jex's vocals were simply quite good. She was totally outshined by the band, who were pretty damn great. They have a lot of potential, though.

When I first checked out a couple of their songs, it was definitely the music that hooked me, but I only became enamoured of Jex's voice after seeing them live a few weeks after that. Everyone in the small bar was clearly captivated by her incredible stage presence and performance, even the other band members themselves, especially the bassist, who frequently gave the audience a wicked stare, often looked at her with what seemed like a mixture of admiration, respect and fear. Oh well, he was most definitely stoned and so was I, but Jex's vocals had left a greater impression on me than on the record.

To my dismay, one could only buy the latest EP at the gig, so I haven't heard the s/t in its entirety, but it feels like the vocal parts are becoming more intricate with each release. Even though I'm already a raging fanboy of Jex Thoth, I agree that they still have a lot of potential and I'm positive that they will realize it with the second full-length.

Die Kraft der Szenarien by Horn is a good release by the one man German black metal band. Its melodic, but not in a cheesy way. The melodies are really what makes this album good. The vocals are good too, kind of resembling depressive black metal and the drums are competent (nothing special though.)

How the Rest was Lost by Black Hell is a great stoner album. A perfect balance between heaviness and a psychedelic atmosphere. Some really great bass. Great sludgy riffs, awesome drumming, spaced out singing - nothing wrong here.

Kingdom by Naam is some great authentic stoner/doom from New York. Sounds straight out of the 70s. The perfect album to get stoned to. Some great ambient moments, one song is just the drums and its great - I even think theres a sitar thrown in somewhere.

I got me some strange stuff over the last few weeks, including two albums given to me in the form of the excellent "Outcast" by Kreator and the surprising album from a band called Cemetary. But niether of those compare to the greatness of what I got on this past Sunday, of all days.

Immortal - All Shall Fall

I have to start by saying I had never given Immortal a chance before, I was pretty down on the whole "Panda" paint and spike-bat thing. I thought it was hokey, and ultimately a stupid gimmick. I still think it is, but now I'm more willing to give these bands a try instead of letting the image turn me off. Potentially robbing me of some of the best music I have ever listened to. It started with Dimmu Borgir at the start of last year and has since evolved into the other groups of similar ilk, image wise.

What I love about "All Shall Fall" has to be the almost hard-rock guitar blended with the low rumble bass and pounding drumming. At times Abbath sounds like he's channeling early 90's Richard Marks or Pantera but much rawer. Apollyon's bass work is barely audible, but you would notice it's absence, he fills the gaps in the background with the perfect wall of opressing low-end. All the while Horgh just proves that he is by far one of the most capable blasters in the genre, and second to no one. The title track makes me bounce my head until I reach neck-snapping velocity. While the rapid-fire cannon drums on almost everything hit me directly in my core. Some of the songs can be chalked up to formula, but that's just a by-product of the genre and a tiny quibble when the quality is so high. This album contains a song with melodic death-growl vocals... think about that for a second. The production is glossy, but not too glossy (courtesy of Peter Tägtgren) and the songs are simple and yet epic. The riffs by no means would destroy any capable guitarist, but that's not the point. If you want some epic battle metal with all the trim and dressing of Black and German Thrash metal then this is your ticket to good times and bleak soundscapes. A must buy for any Black Metal fan (or even German Thrash fan), and an excellent starting point for anybody new to Immortal (like me). Fingers crossed for the next one to be this good.

I got me some strange stuff over the last few weeks, including two albums given to me in the form of the excellent "Outcast" by Kreator and the surprising album from a band called Cemetary. But niether of those compare to the greatness of what I got on this past Sunday, of all days.

Immortal - All Shall Fall

I have to start by saying I had never given Immortal a chance before, I was pretty down on the whole "Panda" paint and spike-bat thing. I thought it was hokey, and ultimately a stupid gimmick. I still think it is, but now I'm more willing to give these bands a try instead of letting the image turn me off. Potentially robbing me of some of the best music I have ever listened to. It started with Dimmu Borgir at the start of last year and has since evolved into the other groups of similar ilk, image wise.

What I love about "All Shall Fall" has to be the almost hard-rock guitar blended with the low rumble bass and pounding drumming. At times Abbath sounds like he's channeling early 90's Richard Marks or Pantera but much rawer. Apollyon's bass work is barely audible, but you would notice it's absence, he fills the gaps in the background with the perfect wall of opressing low-end. All the while Horgh just proves that he is by far one of the most capable blasters in the genre, and second to no one. The title track makes me bounce my head until I reach neck-snapping velocity. While the rapid-fire cannon drums on almost everything hit me directly in my core. Some of the songs can be chalked up to formula, but that's just a by-product of the genre and a tiny quibble when the quality is so high. This album contains a song with melodic death-growl vocals... think about that for a second. The production is glossy, but not too glossy (courtesy of Peter Tägtgren) and the songs are simple and yet epic. The riffs by no means would destroy any capable guitarist, but that's not the point. If you want some epic battle metal with all the trim and dressing of Black and German Thrash metal then this is your ticket to good times and bleak soundscapes. A must buy for any Black Metal fan (or even German Thrash fan), and an excellent starting point for anybody new to Immortal (like me). Fingers crossed for the next one to be this good.

Damn, I still haven't gotten around to listening to this one, I really need to.

I will kepp this short. In the last week I purchased: Cannibal Corpse's gorey debut "Eaten Back to Life", Blackguard's second album "Firefight", Baroness's famous "Blue Album", another CC album "Butchered at Birth", and last but not least, Testament "Live at the Fillmore".

Right away I can say that the two CC albums are both amazing and definitely on my list of top death metal albums. Both have a rather raw, brutal sound and I love the singers CC have. Corpsegrinder and Chris Barnes are both great and fit into the album perfectly. Also, thank you Metal Blade for a great debut album!

Secondly I will talk about the Baroness album. Much different than CC, but amazing nonetheless. All of the songs on the album tie into each other and that is imminently clear from the start. I wish the vocals could have been done a bit better on tracks such as "A Horse Called Golgortha", but overall an amazing sludge album!

Testament Live at the Fillmore was entertaining and a good demonstration of what they have acheived throughout their early career, but it did not "wow" me. The singing, guitar parts, drumming is all up to par, it's just not the best live album. I would give it maybe 3/5-3.5/5.

Last, the new Blackguard release. In my opinion it is not as bad as most people say. It is mildly entertaining. Keep in my mind it is coming from Quebec, and we all know Quebec isnt the home of metal. Not as bad as people say, but not amazing or even that good. Maybe 2/5 stars?

Online I've been listening to a lot of Opeth, Avantasia and Circus Maximus.

Sentenced's - North From Here just got this a few days ago, and I must say it's pretty excellent. It's my kind of melodic death metal in that it doesn't sound much at all like melodic death metal. The riffs are quite complex and the whole thing is rather over-the-top but in a very compelling way. I'm not sure why but it reminds me a little bit of Merciless's Unbound, probably just because it still roughly constitutes MDM, but with a genuine 'metalness' that the genre often lacks. Some parts are quite Coroner-esque, they have that same vicious thrashy groove to them. Cool melodic death metal from Finland, colour me impressed!

Raven - Rock Until You Drop this is just one of the most energetic albums I've ever heard. It's just so much damn fun to listen to and unsurprisingly very fast for its time. Everything's just completely in-your-face, they sound like they've been dreaming of making a record for so many years and as such they're just SO EXCITED to be recording. Definitely a superior NWOBHM album.

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.

There are plenty of really interesting things about Meshuggah. For my money one thing in particular stands out the most, that slap-happy, chainsaw bass on "Obzen". So, you can probably imagine my joy at hearing another band that uses a similar buzzed out bass tone in a similar slap-happy fashion. I also reall, really enjoy The Dillinger Escape Plan. So you can probably easily fathom how happy I was to find a band with the same style-hopping Jekyll and Hyde mentality.

War From A Harlots Mouth - MMX

I didn't know really what to make of this group at first, I had purchased the album at 40% off during a "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" sale at a CD Plus. I couldn't quite wrap my mind around what it was. It turns out I just had the volume up to high and it was sounding like a wall of noise instead of the carefully layered spazz-metal masterpiece that it is. The guitars weave in with that slappy bass and the drums range from holy-crap blast beats to more typical metal fare. The vocals are gutteral, indecipherable at times, and some of the most diverese work on the CD. As I mentioned before, that slaptastic buzz-saw bass rules on the songs it is present, and it accompanies the riffs very nicely. Something I wasn't expecting was the jazz interludes (hence the Dillinger comparison). There a little strange at first, but very pleasing to the ear. This band is not lacking in the talent department. One of the stranger songs features an opening piece of doom riffage, followed by silence and what sounds like somebody lighting a cigarette(?) with a zippo lighter and inhaling deep. This type of experimentation not only pleases me, it gives me hope that the genres of Grindcore and Death Metal will not just stagnate into clones of greater enteties. Now, on the downside, it comes with a healthy dose of Death Core on it... which I know many folks look at as some form of B.S. that has no business calling itself metal. But give this album a chance, and give those boys from Germany a chance to change your mind.

Sentenced's - North From Here just got this a few days ago, and I must say it's pretty excellent. It's my kind of melodic death metal in that it doesn't sound much at all like melodic death metal. The riffs are quite complex and the whole thing is rather over-the-top but in a very compelling way. I'm not sure why but it reminds me a little bit of Merciless's Unbound, probably just because it still roughly constitutes MDM, but with a genuine 'metalness' that the genre often lacks. Some parts are quite Coroner-esque, they have that same vicious thrashy groove to them. Cool melodic death metal from Finland, colour me impressed!

Definitely agreed: It's clearly melodic death metal that doesn't sound like it is. It's also leaning a bit on the black metal side. The way the guitarlines and songs are constructed is over the top, going everywhere at once. Fortunately the songs still actually manage to go somewhere instead of just sitting there like so many other bands' songs are wont to do. Never noticed the Coroner-esqueness, but now that you mention it, it's definitely true in the lead guitar department.

Raven - Rock Until You Drop this is just one of the most energetic albums I've ever heard. It's just so much damn fun to listen to and unsurprisingly very fast for its time. Everything's just completely in-your-face, they sound like they've been dreaming of making a record for so many years and as such they're just SO EXCITED to be recording. Definitely a superior NWOBHM album.

Fuck yes, no question. Every now and then while perusing my collection I'll go "Damn, NWOBHM is really under-represented here.". Then I realize I have the first 3 Raven albums and Satan so I'm good to fucking go. I think I probably enjoy Wipe Out just a tad bit more on the whole but the debut is undeniable. I love the production and live feel. For the Future is my shit.

Clair Cassis - s/t. This is fuzzy, groggy black metal complimented by a haunting atmosphere. The atmosphere fits in with the album cover, which is the ocean, with waves crashing into jagged rocks. If I was a stoner, I'd definitely get out the bong for this one. The album is generally slow, considering it is black metal. This allows it to carve out its own pace and unfold naturally. This a grower, the first time I was kind of bored as I browsed through the songs. It only clicked once I listened to the album all the way through; it didn't hurt that at the time I was also reading a book that this album's atmosphere suited perfectly.

Hyatari - Light Carriers. I always thought drone was hit or miss. There, of course, were innovatory, pushing the boundaries with new ideas for slow hypnotic soundscapes. But there is also a large number of bands that just down tune their guitar to the point where their guitar strings are almost flapping and play long sustained distortion-laced notes over and over again. Light Carriers is perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises I've ever had listening to drone music. Yes, the mandatory crushing distortion is present in long passages, but there is much more to this album. The use of samples, the melancholic melodies, the uplifting keyboard passages and the subtle chanting vocals all culminate into an enthralling musical journey (sorry about the cliche.) For people who want to get into drone, but find most albums tedious, try this one out. I should stress the importance of listening to this album as a whole. It is not as good when broken up into little pieces.

I think it's accepted fact that Rob Halford is one of the most (if not THE most) metal dudes out there. And just by being within 100 yards of him you will become the most metal dude your friends have ever known by osmosis. And since I think we can all agree on that, here is my review of... wait for it...

2wo - Voyeurs

Having come late to the Priest party, I only learned of 2wo in the past year from a friend of mine who has been into Judas Priest since before Ripper Owens hit puberty. What he told me of this particular slab of industrial metal made it sound like it was one huge love letter from Halford to his boyfriend. While this album has a certain pro-gay vibe to it (and since he IS gay, why wouldn't it?), it isn't any more present than on any of the albums he worked on prior to this project. You would have to look for it in the lyrics, and listen for it in the songs to find it. It's there, but it isn't in your face by any means. For the less homophobic listener, what you will be treated to is some of the finest material in the industrial metal canon, and some of the best production work Trent Reznor has ever done. These tunes range from up tempo, self reflective songs about wanting to be accepted to more somber songs about being crushed under the weight of your own mind. The best known song from the album "I Am A Pig" (thanks to it's inclusion on the Idle Hands soundtrack), is a somewhat dancy number with a huge, tune full, echo drenched chorus. The instrumentation is snappy, and the song writing is catchy. Maybe not as good as Judas Priest or Fight, but certainly worthy of respect. It's a long, hard road out of hell and few are up for the journey. Halford made his way out while working on this album, take it for what it is. Close your eyes and open your mind... you thought I was going to say "mouth" didn't you?

I own this album for a while now, but haven't listened to it very often. Shame on me! I've listened to this in the car for the whole week. It's a fast album and full of energy. I love the drumming on this album. It works pretty well together with the guitars and the blast beats sound a little like machine gun fire, what fits the album pretty well, because of the concept of the battle at passiondale in WW1. The clean singing on the songs 'Poison Fog' and 'No Survivors' are just amazing and they give me shivers every time I listen to them. 'Poison Fog' is also my favorite from this album.So, overall it's a pretty good album and it's a shame that this band will disband at the end of this year.

These (and most of Death Metal itself, unfortunately) were brand new to me. I didn't think I liked Death Metal. Incantation demolished that theory and made me feel like a proper noob. It's difficult to express how much DM has done to benefit my mental landscape just in the past 9 days.* I listened to both of these albums a lot this week.

The production is intimidating and beset my mind immediately: muffled, massive, and something to behold. The flat and clattery drums sound like weathered timber battered in an earthquake, and Craig Pillard's water-logged blur is the tilth-building bonding agent for the earthy tone. None of the elements seem like they have the forefront to themselves much, making the architecture all the more cohesive. I was really impressed by how much atmosphere they got with so little reverb.

Thick, dank atmosphere that's not so much morbid as grimly realistic (while the lyrics of Nazarene are more surreal); powerful surges interspersed with an eerie yearning left me with lasting impressions of cataracts ("realms obscure"), and the claustrophobic struggle of vitality to shake off entropic rigor mortis.

Incantation are clearly artists with a vision. I'm curious to hear how things change while I go through their discography and the members shift.

Lurker of Chalice - s/t. I usually think its silly when one guy has multiple one man black metal bands, but it kind of makes sense in this situation. This sounds totally different than Wrest's other stuff with Leviathan. There is still ambient, but it has a different vibe to it; more calming than creepy. There is a huge doom influence here, which affects the pace greatly; this is a very slow album. The guitar is amazing. The slow crawling riffs are mesmerizing and the warm acoustic guitar that starts off the second song is simply beautiful. The deep clean vocals are awesome, really fit in with the atmosphere. This will not disappoint fans of atmospheric black metal. By the way, does anybody know what the band name means? Seriously, what the hell is a Lurker of Chalice?

Vidensang - Terminus: Rebirth in Eight Parts. Some great nature inspired black/ambient that feels completely authentic and organic. To be honest, I kind of view this as an ambient record with a few black metal sections. And that's completely alright. This album is for people who want atmosphere. If you are looking for constant blast beats, lots of distortion and over the top screeches; search elsewhere. This is calm yet haunting; it makes me feel like I am in the forest. It actually brings back memories of the house that my grandparents used to own in the country that was surrounded by a huge deep forest. For anyone that is interested, the guy behind this band was featured on Agalloch's new album, performing the piano outro to The Watcher's Monolith.

These (and most of Death Metal itself, unfortunately) were brand new to me. I didn't think I liked Death Metal. Incantation demolished that theory and made me feel like a proper noob. It's difficult to express how much DM has done to benefit my mental landscape just in the past 9 days.* I listened to both of these albums a lot this week.

The production is intimidating and beset my mind immediately: muffled, massive, and something to behold. The flat and clattery drums sound like weathered timber battered in an earthquake, and Craig Pillard's water-logged blur is the tilth-building bonding agent for the earthy tone. None of the elements seem like they have the forefront to themselves much, making the architecture all the more cohesive. I was really impressed by how much atmosphere they got with so little reverb.

Thick, dank atmosphere that's not so much morbid as grimly realistic (while the lyrics of Nazarene are more surreal); powerful surges interspersed with an eerie yearning left me with lasting impressions of cataracts ("realms obscure"), and the claustrophobic struggle of vitality to shake off entropic rigor mortis.

Incantation are clearly artists with a vision. I'm curious to hear how things change while I go through their discography and the members shift.

Wow. I'm not sure how things would have been for me had I been initiated into death metal with Incantation. As it is, it took a little while for me to really feel the depth of what they were getting at and to really enjoy it, but in the past several years they've risen to become, if not my favourite death metal band, pretty much the definitive example of what death metal is for me. If someone asked me to explain death metal and what made it so powerful I'd probably hold this band alof to them.

_________________Hush! and harkTo the sorrowful cryOf the wind in the dark.Hush and hark, without murmur or sigh,To shoon that tread the lost aeons:To the sound that bids you to die.

Wow. I'm not sure how things would have been for me had I been initiated into death metal with Incantation. ... If someone asked me to explain death metal and what made it so powerful I'd probably hold this band alof to them.

I feel very much the same way. The other day a co-worker asked if my phrase "a really good death metal band" wasn't an oxymoron, and I actually got kind of offended because of how much this experience has meant to me.

I've listened to a fair bit of DM since I started writing that analysis, and while I've heard other things I've liked a lot (Disma, Funebrarum, Denial, Immolation, and older work like Entombed and Dismember), no one else has yet hit that particular atmosphere. Vasaeleth comes closest thus far. A lot of Incantation's place as an exemplar I think is because of Craig Pillard specifically. A vocalist is clearly key in getting the tone just right, don't you think?

These weren't the first death metal I'd EVER heard. [edit: ] They were my initiation, not my introduction, if you follow my distinction. I listened to IVth Crusade a hell of a lot (plus Realm of Chaos, etc.) some years ago, but apart from Bolt Thrower (and the encounters were scant) nothing ever really stuck. Still ... Incantation are nothing like Bolt Thrower, and Incantation really schooled me in what's possible and gave me a context for the depth and emotional weight to death metal that I certainly didn't have before. Just being loud and intense isn't enough, clearly. As in all art vision, commitment, and soul are what make the majority of the difference.

I wonder what things would have been like if I'd gotten into tape trading early on, but I just didn't know any metal heads. I really feel like I missed out on something, and now I'm playing catch up. But between this site and my brother, that process is made much easier. Thanks!

I had the album downloaded on my computer for some time, listened to it several times but it never really struck me except maybe for a song or two. I just bought the LP yesterday at some used music store, and gave it a second, more thorough listen with my full attention this morning and the album really "revealed" itself to me. It may very well be because I never really put much attention to it when I was playing it on my computer, acting more as background music, and since it's not anything particularly... in your face for the lack of a better words, it never really struck me.

Anyway, Devil Soldier is pretty good. It's pretty distinct heavy metal there, unlike their British counterparts, Loudness' sound is more influenced by rock/prog rock than punk. Not that there's a big prog rock/old rock influence on Devil Soldier, it's more about a little edge/sonority the riffs have from time to time, some little transition riffs really sounding like what you could hear in the genre. It's mostly mid-paced stuff, but each song is distinct; you got the ballad of "After Illusion", the short "Girl" which doesn't have any real lyric so to speak, Minoru Niihara saying "Woo yeah!!" or "Sweet Sweet Honey Baby my girl" most of the time, and there's also the 7 minutes title track, there's not a filler track, the album is of very good consistency. Each track start with a distinct standout riff, and the complicity of Akira Takasaki's riffs and Munetaka Higuchi's drumming is great, Masayoshi Yamashita also doing a good job on the bass. And speaking of Akira's guitar playing, his leads are a highlight of the album. Devil Soldier might sometime be a bit more commercial or cheesy, like on "After Illusion", but the distinctively Loudness riffs (hard to really describe more than what I already said) along Akira's gorgeous leads overshadow any problem Loudness' songwriting may have. Well, even then, I think this aspect of the band gives them a certain personality coupled with their influences. As for Minoru's singing, I didn't really like him all that much in the first place, but his style grew on me over time. In fact, I now love him, and I also love it that he sings mostly in Japanese and mixing it with English. It's hard to describe his singing style other than it's Japanese sounding relatively high pitched heavy metal vocals. His performance is really catchy during the choruses and Akira always manages to play some of the most fitting, and really good riffing there, it's really during choruses that Loudness' personality is at its peak. Great catchy, rockin' stuff.

Devil Soldier also sounds really good. It's a great production for early 80ies standards, one that really makes the music breathe and make the riffs evoke a certain appealing feel. All in all Loudness here plays some really cool heavy metal full of personality and different from pretty much anything I heard. Maybe not among my favourites of the genre, but it's still A-grade stuff, a minor classic I'd say. Listening to Devil Soldier makes me think how it's a shame they went in a much more commercial direction afterwards considering how their early sound is unique and great. Thunder in the East was my introduction to the band, and while it's still some good and fun heavy metal with a distinct Japanese touch mostly thanks to Minoru's vocals, it's much more commercial, cheesy and shows Loudness more as a band starting to loose its personality and authenticity. I haven't heard Soldier of Fortune yet - although I have it on tape - but the band introducing an American singer into their ranks is kinda questionable, that and it really shows that the band kinda lost what made them great in the first place, falling into commercial territory.

These fellows were the first of the new wave of old-school death metal (NWOOSDM) bands I came across, and so far one of the most unrelentingly straightforward in their focus. What originally attracted me to Crypt Born was its production. Drenched in thick layers of cobwebbed reverb, the ghastliness quotient on this release really struck me as something I'd been waiting a long time to hear. So often it seemed to me that what's missing in death metal is careful attention to the creation of atmosphere through production values rather than the assumption an easy mantle of 'morbidity' through rote DM aesthetics. Through a simple and fairly minor change in production style, Vasaeleth manage to push the sound of death metal far further into the psychological catacombs than many of their peers. A little goes a long way in this case. In terms of the music itself: some have criticized this release as simplistic, and while I can see what would prompt that judgment, I see Crypt Born more as a case of distilling a style to its essentials. Like Bolt Thrower, Vasaeleth take simple, deliberate phrases and wield them like weighty warhammers, forsaking complexity for sheer iron strength. They craft their compositions with an undiverted singlemindedness worthy of a Leatherface, heedless to elegance or wile or wit, cutting straight to the point, to the godless butchery. With all elements mixed to a perfect, full, meaty, intimidating balance, hyperpowered bass mounted well up in the vanguard like a thick steel shield, Crypt Born looms up like some unholy mountain of muscle, a seething, minotaur-headed, metal-plated juggernaut. Simplistic or not, it's exhilarating to hear this level of undiluted barbarism and hulking strength coming from the death metal camp of our current times. I'll take this over any tech wank, no question.

Definitely a "grower", and this album certainly deserves repeated listens but I've grown to love it. At first I thought it was a strange, little archaic record with some bafflingly weird drum production/arrangements. Now I think it's a strange, grandiose archaic record - which nails that "Battling Christians in the forest" vibe. It's probably the most furious, cold record from Darken that I've heard and it's probably the best, too. It's folky but in a subtle way that never quite comes into the foreground (that's probably something to do with the mix). It's floaty and atmospheric whilst still being vicious.

Certainly an unusual record, but a subtle one. I appreciate that.

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.

Definitely a "grower", and this album certainly deserves repeated listens but I've grown to love it. At first I thought it was a strange, little archaic record with some bafflingly weird drum production/arrangements. Now I think it's a strange, grandiose archaic record - which nails that "Battling Christians in the forest" vibe. It's probably the most furious, cold record from Darken that I've heard and it's probably the best, too. It's folky but in a subtle way that never quite comes into the foreground (that's probably something to do with the mix). It's floaty and atmospheric whilst still being vicious.

Certainly an unusual record, but a subtle one. I appreciate that.

My favourite song on there is probably "Born for War". That repeating riff/motif that introduces the song is almost a work of subversive genius. Great lyrics, too! I mean it!

_________________Hush! and harkTo the sorrowful cryOf the wind in the dark.Hush and hark, without murmur or sigh,To shoon that tread the lost aeons:To the sound that bids you to die.

quick intro first as im new here - found this site last week looking up reviews of some old maiden albums. came across some very well written reviews of bands ive never heard of which led me to purchase the following (and havent stopped listening to):

crimson glory - crimson glorymy god, midnight has the greatest voice that I have heard. ever. this has got to be one of the most impressive debut albums in history. every single song ... from the pounding opener Valhalla until the emotional closer Lost Reflection ... is phenomenally written. the vocal harmonies are beautiful and unique, the guitars show off some of the most brilliant riffs and solos without becoming musically masturbatory, and the drumming and bass-work keep everything in sync. the remastered album I purchased contains the single "Dream Dancer" which was not on the original release and might be the best track on the album. "Azrael" is brilliant .. it sounds as evil as it is beautiful. words can not explain the emotions i feel while listening to this entire album over and over again. i wish i had known of this 20 years ago.

fates warning - the spectre withinBRILLIANT. this album is truly unique in the fact that NOTHING else sounds like it. at least nothing i have ever heard. how does one describe john arch? i cant. he must be heard to be believed. the vocal harmonies are otherworldly on this album, notably towards the end of "Epitaph" where he sings .. not words, not screams .. but he SINGS gorgeous sounds along with the music as it fades out. for those of you with an appreciation of music beyond metal, he is reminiscent of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett who is known for 'humming' along with his brilliant piano work - and both jarrett and arch receive the same type of criticism from those who feel the humming and singing get in the way of their primary roles for their bands. while this is criticized by many, to me, this is a solid example of how a voice can be used not just in the role for the recital of lyrics, but to become a different instrument altogether. those that pull it off, like arch does in this album, are few and far between and are such a treat for me to listen to. being over 2 decades of age, this album sounds so fresh that i can not see it ever getting old. i can go on about the rest of the band on this album, but as the OP instructed, we've got to keep these short!

it is a pleasure to join this forum. i am looking forwards to expanding my knowledge of music here and i hope to contribute!

...With all elements mixed to a perfect, full, meaty, intimidating balance, hyperpowered bass mounted well up in the vanguard like a thick steel shield, Crypt Born looms up like some unholy mountain of muscle, a seething, minotaur-headed, metal-plated juggernaut. Simplistic or not, it's exhilarating to hear this level of undiluted barbarism and hulking strength coming from the death metal camp of our current times. I'll take this over any tech wank, no question.

Oh man, what a great description. I'm looking forward to listening to this at home, finally. Three times in two weeks isn't enough, and headphones don't do this music justice. It requires a PA speaker at immersive volume.

I'm not sure if you saw my post in the now comatose "can metal get more extreme" thread, but Vasaeleth was on my mind when I wrote about metal that facilitates a properly hallucinogenic state being the future of extremity. Your phrase "the psychological catacombs" echoed in the same tone. I'm really looking forward to more metal being made in this effects-drenched vein.

I think it's odd that simplicity would be what detractors focused on when atmosphere is clearly the objective.

i'll give this a shot! and i think it will be good outlet to express my views on albums that i like, but not sure on how to write a review on yet!

Ghost - Opus Eponymous

After reading much polarised views on this album, I knew I had to check Ghost's Opus Eponymous out and what better way than to find it on the internet (was really a bitch to finally find a working link, but whatever, my CD is on it's way from amazon now!). I'm not familiar at all with 70s occult rock and Mercyful Fate (which many have drawn comparisons with), so I shall not bring them into my views on the album.

What I heard on the Ghost album though completely blew me away, and it has been awhile since I can put an album on loop for the whole day, wake up the next day and continue listening to it on loop yet not get sick of it. Songs like Ritual, with the soothing guitars on high reverb and dreamy atmosphere, complete with the vocalist's light singing style certainly captivated me for hours on end, and it is precisely this that will capture those who are unaware about what Ghost's lyrical contents are, giving them a nasty surprise when they find out what they are actually singing about.

Hell - Human Remains

Yet another album that was highly discussed on the forums lately, I was glad that I decided to click on the thread and read about the band. Honestly, on first listen I thought that this was just generic, heavy metal. In addition to that, David Bower's vocals (that constantly broke throughout the song) put me off to, making me certain that I will not check the band out ever again. The theatrics that the band employed on the music video also bordered on ridiculous. However, seeing the thread being constantly brought back on to the first page of the forums, I decided to risk it (irrational, I know!) and get the album and listen to the album in its entirety.

And fortunately so, because listening through the album in full has certainly got me hooked. David Bower's vocals slowly grew on me (especially on songs like Save Us from Those Who Would Save Us), and the razor sharp guitar tone, reminding me of good old German power metal bands, yet played in a NWOBHM style. Looking back at the video that I once thought was ridiculous again and reading past interviews with the band, the theatrics suddenly all make sense and definitely complements the music.